March2011
Ready to score
Football (or soccer to our American readers) and role playing: it's not a combination that instantly springs to mind as the basis for a video game, but that's exactly what's on offer with Level 5's latest creation, Inazuma Eleven. Despite sounding like an odd mix that frankly should never be considered, the concept works incredibly...
Review Pokémon Black and White (DS)
Black and White and good all over
Last year’s Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver were just stopgap games to tide eager trainers over until the launch of Generation Five: Pokémon Black and White. Now the latest iterations in the series are here to eat up DS gamers’ spare time once again with a stack of new monsters and features. Set in the...
February2011
Review Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation (DS)
It's about slime!
It's certainly no secret that Nintendo made the right move in choosing to publish Dragon Quest IX outside of Japan as the game not only drew rave reviews from the gaming media, but also broke numerous sales records along the way as well. Now in an effort to keep the momentum rolling, it's decided to help Square-Enix resurrect one...
January2011
Square Enix mixes it up with Mario, but is it any good?
Mario is one of those annoying people who seems to be good at whatever he turns his hand to: not satisfied with merely being a tennis champion, golf champion, kart racing champion and constant saviour of the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario is trying out four new sports in Mario Sports Mix for Wii and...
December2010
Review Mario Party 2 (Virtual Console / Nintendo 64)
It's party time!
The Mario Party series has become quite successful for Nintendo and has brought many gamers and their families together over the years. Nintendo, obviously still concerned over the taxing controls of the original Mario Party which caused more than a few blisters and hand cramps among players, have decided to skip straight to Mario...
Review Super Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary Edition (Wii)
With exclusive bonus item: Dissatisfaction
Nintendo has a lot to be proud of. Its heritage and stature in the video game industry is unrivalled, and the firm has presided over some truly significant moments in the relatively short lifespan of the medium. It goes without saying that the video gaming landscape would be near-unrecognisable were it not...
Review Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! (DS)
Little Mario, big fun
For fans of the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series, the good news is that Mini-Land Mayhem! is another truly stellar entry in the series. For those who are not yet fans, the good news is that Mini-Land Mayhem! is an excellent place to start. Mario's latest business venture (seriously, when does he ever find time to do any actual...
A tidal wave of fun
WiiWare is no stranger to quirky, innovative games, with the platform delivering such wonderful titles as World of Goo, Lost Winds and the BIT.TRIP series. These titles all take full advantage of the Wii Remote, pairing novel gameplay concepts with smooth, accessible motion controls. Yet such stellar releases don't come along all...
FacePalm
We really hope people don't judge the Wii RemotePlus based solely on this, because it's really capable of so much more. FlingSmash is a take on the paddle-and-ball genre that has you assuming the role of Zip, a dull yellow dot creature. Your mission is to liberate Suthon Island from a bad guy named Omminus and yes, the entire story uses...
Review Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs (DS)
Hokey Poké?
There are two types of players in the world of Pokémon: those who enjoy capturing, training and battling with their Pokémon, and gentler, liberal-minded players who assume responsibility for the safety and well-being of the beloved pocket monsters. In Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs, the third instalment in the Pokémon Ranger series,...
November2010
Review Golden Sun: Dark Dawn (DS)
Worth its weight in gold?
When the Golden Sun series kicked off on the Game Boy Advance in 2001, it was lauded for its unique visual style and challenging puzzle elements, but after two releases the series took an extended break, so long in fact that many fans wondered if the series would ever see another entry. Now, over seven years later, Camelot...
Review Snowpack Park (WiiWare)
An ice game or a total flake-out? You get the drift.
A massive snowstorm has struck Snowpack Park, blocking off roads, causing damage and isolating the poor, poor penguins from each other. Only one person can bring them back: you! Or your Mum! Or Dr. Zoidberg, any Mii stored on your Wii. But, still, you get the idea. Snowpack Park is a game of...
Review Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii)
Retro Studios resurrects a classic
When Rare created the original Donkey Kong Country titles for the Super Nintendo console, the games basically took the system's visuals capabilities to new heights and also offered up one of the best platforming experiences the console had to offer. Now, having spent the past few years resurrecting the Metroid...
Review Sleep Clock: Record and Analyse Your Sleep Patterns (DSiWare)
Barely awake
We've seen quite a few DSiWare applications from Nintendo, from stinkers such as Photo Clock to highly praised ones like Flipnote Studio. Now we have Sleep Clock, which works as both an alarm clock as well as a tool for recording your sleep patterns for analysis. Considering that the DSi already has a built-in alarm clock, is this...
October2010
Review James Bond 007 (Game Boy)
Fun portable Bondage
As an MI6 agent with a license to kill, James Bond has obvious video game potential. One option is the first person shooter, as seen with the Nintendo 64's Goldeneye 007, but that's not the only choice. Released not long after Rare's classic, the simply titled James Bond 007 is a very different game, but there's still a lot of...
Aww, snap!
If you think that there are all together too many puzzle games available on the DSiWare service, there is a good chance that you are right. It can be a bit overwhelming when there are so many great titles to choose from, but fortunately for you Snapdots has finally arrived in North America to make that choice a bit easier. This new, fun,...
A charming little hole in the wall
WiiWare is no stranger to the puzzle genre, offering up classic experiences like Tetris Party and Dr. Mario alongside more unconventional titles like the Art Style series. Nintendo's latest title, ThruSpace, hopes to try something new to stand out in the sizable crowd. How does it do it? By combining the shape...
Review Kirby's Epic Yarn (Wii)
A game that truly lives up to its name
Kirby has enjoyed success on Nintendo's various portable systems in recent years, but he hasn't shown up in a game of his own on a home console since his Nintendo 64 adventure Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards back in 2000. Nintendo obviously took notice of this when it put Good Feel Games on the task of creating a...
Review Luigi's Mansion (GameCube)
It's-a me! Mari- wait, what? Luigi?
Nintendo has always had a dark side. Though it's built up a name for itself as a family-friendly game company, every so often, when it can be contained no longer, its dark side manifests itself in the form of a Super Metroid or a Majora's Mask. But while we expect a touch of gloom and misery in our Zeldas and...
Wii like to party
If there's anything that the Wii's software catalogue arguably doesn't really need more of, it's minigame compilations and party games. From Wii Sports to Rabbids to numerous others, "drought" is not the word. But lo and behold, along comes Nintendo and their Mii army with Wii Party, including 80+ minis presented in...
Review Pokémon Emerald (Game Boy Advance)
Some things, it seems, never change
In Japan in 1996 a craze started; by the turn of the century, it had worked its way around the world capturing the hearts and minds of gamers as easily as a level 3 Rattata is caught in a Master Ball. That craze was Pokémon: Nintendo’s pocket monster catching/training/battling powerhouse. The two Game Boy...
Review Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (GameCube)
To think that once I could not see beyond the veil of our reality to see those who dwell behind
When Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem was released, there was a glut of Mature-rated horror games on the market from which to choose. Between the endless sequels to Resident Evil, Silent Hill and others, it was easy to overlook this newcomer. But...
September2010
Review Nintendo Countdown Calendar (DSiWare)
Count it out
Have you ever wished for a calendar that counts down to the day of literally any event that you programme into it all by itself? Well, thanks to Nintendo's latest DSiWare application, the Nintendo Countdown Calendar, your dreams can now become a reality! This new application provides users with a calendar that has a separate list...
The original Rayman
A few years before Rayman hit the scene, there was another lesser known platforming hero with floating hands and feet that he could throw at enemies. Created by John and Ste Pickford, two fairly well-known British video game designers, Plok is perhaps one of, if not the best, examples of a cult classic Super Nintendo platformer...
Review Star Fox: Assault (GameCube)
A bumpy ride for Team Star Fox
Star Fox has an active history on the GameCube, first appearing on the console in the form of Star Fox Adventures back in 2001. It took on a whole new direction and saw Fox McCloud out of the cockpit for the first time in an on-foot adventure across Dinosaur Planet, and while the game received acclaim in some quarters,...
